As you may have heard, there's a big "Video Contest" being put on by your TEAM here at ActiveRain. This is a contest that EVERY SINGLE MEMBER should enter. You know that video is coming, and that it will be the next level of technology we MUST incorporate to stay or be competitive. You do know that right? :-) So get your video camera, and have some FUN!! You can't miss an opportunity like this one for sure!
Just look at these prizes:
1st Prize
1 ticket to the Day with Seth Godin event in New York City Hotel accommodations for two nights (the proceeds from our ticket purchase have already been donated to The Acumen Fund)
Round trip airfare to NYC. For one person, $500 maximum
While you're all out playing with your videos for "BIG WINNINGS", I'll be having some fun of my own!!
Part of my new position and adventure here at ActiveRain includes focusing on RE.Net. I am working closely with the AR staff on some "new" ideas, products and tools for us as members. Your Real Estate Technology Division of ActiveRain is working diligently to test and implement some of the finest services and products available for its members. So, in an attempt to help you increase your Business and Blogging successes, I am currently looking at a new on-line "Video Platform" that may possibly be offered to you in the near future. (Not Just Yet though, sorry!!)
I am excited about the marketing and advertising capabilities of this new and much needed system. We are testing the "Video Platform" in many different areas. Here's just few:
Ease of Use
Cost Effective
Value and Benefit
Quality of Product
Membership Interest
Available Options
System Support
Effort vs Reward
I put together this test "Video Invitation" to see how it would look in a post. I realized this evening that we can't use HTML when posting directly to a group or private group. So, if you happen to find and stumble upon this post, I have ONLY two things to request from you:
1. You really should enter the "Video Contest" because it's FUN, it stimulates your competitive creativity, and it's worth cash and prizes, not just points. Be Creative, your readers will love it.
2. Understand that this post is just a test to see how well this video tool works with ActiveRain's Blogging Platform, and you have to promise me that you won't push and shove while lining up for this product. IT's NOT AVAILABLE YET!! But when it is, you'll be the first to know. :-)
An ActiveRain Video Invitation
Copyright Protected by those guys who Love finding this stuff Copied when it's Copyright Protected! LOL!~
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Brad, I have an idea and I hope you are open to ideas. ;-) I think it is powerful to do videos and what a great way to sell yourself!! I also think the video part of the future Video Rain should target lots of industries. It would make it more valuable to all. Many small businesses need to advertise and its better to produce your own video and use this platform and then the agents have a great group to market to!
I think I might write a post and expand on these thoughts. Hope I'm clear and you don't mind new ideas. But heck you are such an great idea guy I think you might not mind.
As for my video...yikes I better get to work!! Haven't produced it as yet.
Great video! Are you trying to be a movie producer in addition to all your other talents? LOL
You have embraced your new position with passion - just as you embrace life. I know you will do well and that your success will foster the best in all of us.
Marzena - so are you entering the Video Contest Challenge? What have you got to lose? :-)
Brian - I'll be looking your way to check out your video entry. I'm not a judge or working the contest in any way other than encouraging members and friends to play. The Flip Video alone is worth the effort, but to go see Seth and win the 1st Place Grand Prize would be so Grand indeed!?!
Missy - I'd love to see what you've done. Let me know if you need any help at all. I will be posting some more Flip Video stuff later this week. I am interviewing a Lender from Walnut Creek today, and I'm excited to use my Flip at the interview.
Neal - I'm not in the contest, but I sure hope you'll be!? If so, good luck my friend! :-)
Bill - All the video clips (3) in this video were provided by the online video company. For those who don't want to be in front of a camera, this opportunity will allow them to still advertise and market using video. There are tons of clips available. I can't give up too much just yet, I just threw this together as a test. The next one's, I'll really put some effort into it. Very easy to use stuff, integration will be a breeze! :-)
Karen - you KNOW how I love ideas, and targeting MANY industries we will do! Just like Real Estate is for All, so shall be our marketing and advertising campaigns. Bringing "VALUE" to all is my goal...heck, that's what I live for! :-))))
Carol - LOL! Not a movie producer, you know me better, but if I can throw this together in a short amount of time, imagine what members like yourself will be able to do with all your ideas, resources and experience? This is a tool and service that anyone will be able to do and use. In 5 - 10 minutes, I could teach you how to "Blow This Video" out of the water with your own....and I hope to soon... :-)
Cynthia - it should be fun and will be I'm sure!! I think this is one of the best contests ever put on by AR, at least since I've been a member. I'm looking forward to seeing all that will come from this, and who will be going to NYC with most expenses paid!! Man, that is so cool!! :-)
Monika - I did not create this video with the Flip Video. The pieces of Video you see in my test were provided by the source where I created it. You should see some of the stuff they have available, and hopefully, soon you will. I think that the Flip Video is the most user friendly portable video camera you could own. Bob did a post using it to video his child, and I couldn't believe the quality of both the video and the audio. I just got mine and haven't really had the opportunity to do much, but I am on the road today, and plan to start "Flippin!" I'll do a review post about it later once we get some more feedback and results in. :-)
Jan - thanks! Keeping it interesting but "Value-Added" is my goal. Keep me on track ok? :-)
Fran - Only a title guy would pick up that fine print in a document! I bet yo never miss a lien or an easement either! ROFL!! Thanks Fran, my Title Man! :->
Bonnie - thanks for the Active Brad Love! :-) I only used the "invitation" as an idea because it was late and I was in a hurry to try and feature some things tools available through-out the video. Did you notice the ability to create links to email, websites, urls, etc.? This is very cool stuff and we are only scratching the surface. I Can't wait to go public with this kind of stuff. :-))
Pam - you can count on me posting more about this in the days ahead. Video is here, and it's here to stay!!
Jason - just hold off for a bit, I will be your personal coach and trainer for this if you're interested! :-) When I get the green light to go, I'll be sure to call you my friend! No need to look for tips, I'll lay it all out in a simple format for you. Saving time and helping your business with Real Estate Technology is one of my primary goals with AR. I'll keep you posted as we get closer... :-)
Good Morning Brad. That was totally awesome and it gave me goose flesh. Just before seeing your post, I was writing a new post that probably will have to be done in parts because it is already too long and it is not close to being finished. It is titled ActiveRain, "How do I love Thee, Let me Count the ways. It is a look back at my first year here with ActiveRain. Your post is also a continuum of that idea.
Brad, I can not begin to express the pride I have with this network of people that care, the brilliant talent, the amazing education we are all afforded that if we had to pay for, we could not afford either the price of it or the time. But it is all part of what you get here daily for just the simple commitment to our group.
Thank you for giving us a glimpse at our future and it is as bright a gleaming star.
You are also personally amazing in what you have contributed to all us in the way of your friendship, your awesome skills in the application of technology and the way to utilize it and harness the energy of it to help us build our business, our relationships and our lives. A Special and Heartfelt Thanks, From all of us !
William - I do see video as the path to success in our future of the Real Estate Industry. There are so many ways that this technology can be used and applied to helping grow members business. Video will be is a primary tool for advertising, marketing and communication with consumers and clients. Thanks for the great comment, I really appreciate your sincere gratitude and appreciation. Looking forward to sharing more with you and others in the days ahead! :-)
Denise - Video and Real Estate go hand in hand. It is very exciting what we can do nowadays with the tools and services that are made available here. Hope to have more updates fairly soon... :-) Thanks!
I am alway just behind the curve one of these days I'm going to get with it and do it with the tech savvy people instead of waiting until everyone else is doing it.
Brad, I continue to be amazed at the tips you provide. I haven't bought the flip yet but after your post I see it is a must. I'm anxious to give this video stuff a try. I think I'll do a test page at the back of my site before I let the public in on any productions. No, I'm not doing the contest but can't wait to see what is on the AR screen!
Terry - there is no better time than the present. Being the pioneer is not a bad thing, we may take some arrows, but pioneers are the trend setters and mentors of tomorrow. Glad to see you are open to new and exciting times in the world of Real Estate technology and media marketing. :-)
Annette - It's no longer all about the "Big Screen", now it's about the screen that is entering the consumers home in leaps ad bounds! I think you should enter the contest. What a great opportunity to explore and experiment!
Lisa - I agree and I am looking forward to your entry, and to witnessing all the successes that will come from the use of video and marketing in our era. This is a huge untapped market that will soon be a standard on all business levels, not just Real Estate.
Brad, very cool, although I have no idea how to make a video. (and the flower scared me) When I clicked on your blog under my subscriptions it took FOREVER to load. When I clicked on comments to comment it again took FOREVER to load. (it was worth waiting for)
"when posting directly to a group or private group" what does this mean? Is there another way to post?
Virginia - if you knew how easy it was you'd have to laugh. What if I told you that installing software or a program on your computer was twice as hard as making a video, and making videos is easier than Blogging, then what would you say? Think about the number one thing that people don't have enough of, can't seem to manage it, and wish they had more...always! TIME!! With Video, you will save so much time, be able to give so much more information, and people will really get to know you better by "who you are" and not a times roman font. Blogging is so important to our business, Video will take us to the next level!
My next guess is that you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer as your Internet Browser, I get that comment from time to time from IE users. If you try Firefox, you'll find there is much more LOVE with my page. Better yet, access it with a MAC using "safari" and you'll see Fireworks and Stars!! Not really sure why IE has issues with my Blog...sorry! I have heard that many others have switched to Firefox here as well.
Oh, By the way, sorry for the flower. I have to admit that not much time went into putting this together, it was just a test to see how the video looked on a post. The app has never been tested on an AR Blog before. Looks to be working great! No complaints from any viewers yet, but I'll leave it up for a while to be sure.
Lastly, we are looking into some options for the groups on AR. Some are public and some are private. When posting directly to a group, your post does not show up on your Blog, only in that group. Whether public or private, you can't use HTML code, only WYSIWYG. I have forwarded this observation and request on to the AR Gods. If you need any assistance with Video, posting, or just how to load my Blog FASTER :-) just give me a call or catch me on my Blog anytime. Thanks Virginia
This comment is long enough to be a post, hahaha!!! :-)
Margaret - already working on my next video post. I'm using the Flip Video on the road and will be posting my first ever interview with another ActiveRain member. The camera is easier to use than the TV remote control!! haha! You're not behind the times Margaret, you know I won't let that happen to you! (Big Smile)
The quality of the audio and video are excellent for our member/user platform. I am so excited about some of the changes coming down the road, I wish I never signed that Non-Disclosure Agreement! LOL!~
Brad- You are much better at this than I am. I am just starting from the very beginning of learning to do the video. But you used some sort of slides for this? It was not the flip camera, right?
Now, the download time was too long on this video. It took more than 40 seconds to buffer and download, I think I read that if it takes longer than 23 seconds, you lose the person, they click away. So I think we need to work on that. We have to remember that there are still a load of people still using dial up.
Anne and Eddie - I know Eddie has some fantastic skills he can demonstrate in front of a video camera, go for the GOLD! Anne - I know you have what it takes to make it happen and "Get It Done!" Looking forward to your entry and seeing all the fun you'll have! Thx!! :-)
Katerina - I used an online video platform to create this quick video invitation test. Everything was provided on line except my wife's voice. All the tools are available at the site. I did NOT use the Flip Video for any of this video, but I do have one on it's way soon. Just editing it now.....
Thanks for pointing out the dial up users and download times. We certainly have to consider these challenges as technology pulls us into the "New Web 2.0" era. In time, it will be a media standard to have high speed access and powerful systems, but until then, your point is valid and appreciated. Thanks! I would rather pull people into the future rather than push them. :-)
That was a great video. I wanted to click on the join button, but was fearful of losing all my hard earned points! You are definitely leading the way, Brad.
Natalie - Thanks! I had to LOL at your comment about losing all your points. All that click button does is take you to the AR home page and allows you to make the choice to join or not. You are already a member, so it wouldn't affect your points or existing membership at all. You wouldn't want to join twice anyway, but the video is only a test, and if a Real Estate Industry Professional did find it, they could join, just had to see if the link would really work in the body of a video.
Brad - thanks so much for your reply (another post?). I am using IE, but I do have high speed internet and a quick computer. I can't read Katerina's posts without scrolling sideways, she also suggested Firefox, will check it out.
I added the video flip camera to my want list, I have a $900 movie camera that I don't know how to use, so hope it is easy.
So - to post to a group only, you write the post and then skip down to groups to post?
The flower reminded me of a movie The Little Shop of Horrors.
Looking forward to the video tute.
Hi Brad: Do you have a "lame-but-trying" award? I find the whole concept exciting but, frankly, after viewing the video you posted, I would be embarrased to enter the contest because I can GUARANTEE it will be lame in comparison. Hey, I am still trying to figure out how the video camera on my computer works. Fortunately, my 2 year old nephew (the only recipient of my inability) thinks its really cool when he can talk to and see his Aunt who is 1800 miles away. Willing to try though! :=)
Virginia - (another post! hahaha!) We got Katerina's Blog all fixed up. She just has a couple more posts to repair and she's as good as new!!
My next post is a video I did with the Flip Video, I hope you like it. :-\ The Flip Video, you just pick, click, point, shoot, record, and Flip! Then post it to your Blog! Very Very Very cool!! Did I hear someone say EBay and Camera's? LOL!~
To post to a group, you go to the group first, create a new post, then submit it. It only will be placed in that group and it will not show up on your regular Blog. You can't post to multiple groups when you create a post in a group. You also can't use HTML (right now) when posting just to a group.
The flower reminded me of that too...that may bewhy I used it! hahaha! :-)
I'll help you Wendy, let me know when you have some time to go over whatever challenges you feel have the power to make a 2 year old worthy of being a recipient of your inabilities! Hahaha! You really are just TOO Dog Gone funny! Don't ever change!!! :-)
Jeff - Glad to hear you're busy, that's a blessing!! You should video some of your clients and post some testimonials. Those might even get you busier!! :-)) Hope all is well my friend, I'll be seeing you soon...
Brad - thanks! Good news that I will be able to read Katerina again, she is one of my favorites, but sideways scrolling gets on my nerves. And I get the group-post thing.
2 suggestions
1) Start a private (members only) group to experiment with flip video blogs.
7) Start a private (backwards, slow-to-learn, technology impaired, sleep-deprived, over-caffeinated, possibly grumpy, occasionally suffering from flashbacks from the 60s members only) group to experiment with flip video blogs.
I am not saying that this is intimidating to me, but I might mention that I am still bragging about the listing blog that I did and managed to put in the slide from slideshow.com.
Virginia - I am laughing so hard right now! Thanks...and it's not something in the water! LOL!~ We have a private group to test this stuff. but right now it won't work because you can't use HTML. Working on it!
BTW - went to start a group called, " backwards, slow-to-learn, technology impaired, sleep-deprived, over-caffeinated, possibly grumpy, occasionally suffering from flashbacks from the 60s members only", but someone had already started that group! Too bad, guess you'll just have to fasten your seatbelt and hang on for the rife! haha!
PS. I am very proud of you putting your slideshow.com show together, I'm off to check it out now....
Please accept my resume to beta test your video system from a Canadian perspective. Free creativity included, possibly scenes of Peggy's Cove and tall ships and lobster and any other Nova Scotia stereotype I can capture on video and share with the AR community.
So, here is my question, Brad. Are you the real Real Estate Title Guy or the Real Estate Technology Guy? Perhaps what you should do is form a Real Estate Technology Consulting Company and bring all the Realtors on board. Isn't this your true passion? Oh, but make sure you still stay with Active Rain - I think I see darts coming from all the other realtors here. Sorry!
I'm excited. As soon as I saw a post by Sarah Cooper, I ran down and dusted off my Sony camcorder and went to work. I'll have my first video post up by the end of this week!
I'm also working on a video open house through the Century 21 and Youtube contest. I'll be posting that at some point next week.
Bill - I hope you'll let us know when you get these posted, I can't wait to see what you put together. I'm sure they will both be fabulous. Be sure to let me know, shoot me an email, a link, a comment, or even call me when you post! Thanks! :-)
Karen - I'll go check out your video now. I just got back into town, (my laptop missed me!) but I'll be over to see all the video contest entries. I did not enter the contest, I don't think the AR staff is eligible, besides, If I know you, I wouldn't stand a chance anyway! :-)
Debbie - that is way cool! Let me know if you need any help with it. I will be doing an instructional post for both the Flip Video and Mixpo this next week. Hope you had a great weekend, and I know you'll love your camera when it comes! Let me know when you get it ok? :-)
Debbie - that is way cool! Let me know if you need any help with it. I will be doing an instructional post for both the Flip Video and Mixpo this next week. Hope you had a great weekend, and I know you'll love your camera when it comes! Let me know when you get it ok? :-)
Debbie - that is way cool! Let me know if you need any help with it. I will be doing an instructional post for both the Flip Video and Mixpo this next week. Hope you had a great weekend, and I know you'll love your camera when it comes! Let me know when you get it ok? :-)
WOW! I'm sorry to say I feel like I've been left behind in the caveman days with all this technology stuff. I don't get all the widgets, twitter, gadgets!! I thought I was doing pretty good just knowing how to copy and paste!!! As always you have gone above and beyond!
Sandy - it's so nice to hear from you. No such thing as the caveman days anymore. The fact that you are Blogging puts you way out in front of the pack. Just check out the Real Estate Statistics about REALTORS® Blogging, you're right on track! Widgets, twitters and gadgets don't make up for all the great contributions you make inside and out of the "Rain".
You are a huge asset to this community regardless of technology making you feel challenged! Thanks, and I hope you'll join us tomorrow night when AR goes "Live" on the TBWS Late NIght Show. See my most recent post! Talk then.... :-)
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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